The Hidden Truth
by Lady Syndil
Summary: Lies have been told to Ritsuka, but what is the Hidden Truth. Ritsuka is ready to get rid of that terrible word on Soubi's throat. Rit/sou.


**Disclaimer: Well as you know Loveless isn't mine. **

**AN: I must have been half asleep when I first posted this. I've done a little work on it and hopefully corrected most of the errors.**

**Warnings: Yaoi, oh come on its Loveless, of course it Yaoi. :) Ritsuka x Soubi**

**The Hidden truth, a Loveless tale.**

Lies, it was all lies. Everything he remembered, everything he knew about his brother Seimei was nothing but,...lies. Seimei himself had stood there and told him as Sensei Ritsu lay in the School infirmary his eyes cut from his head by Seimei himself that 'this' was the real Seimei. This Monster, was his brother? He barely recognized him except for the face, his voice and his smell. But it was his brother, the brother he had loved. But then again he wasn't. Ritsuka knew he wasn't wrong for feeling the way he did. Sure he could forgive Seimei for the sins he had committed, he was his brother, but that didn't give him the freedom to keep right on hurting people.

Hurting Soubi.

Ritsuka was more confused than ever. Seimei wasn't dead, never had been. He hadn't been killed by Seven Moons, at least not yet. But it seems they had been trying and Seimei had escaped them by faking his own death and plotting against them in return.

Lies, he'd been blaming Soubi for telling lies. But in truth, Soubi had never really lied to him, he had just refused to tell him anything. Always saying that he couldn't, that it was impossible, or that Seimei's word was absolute. Ritsuka hadn't really understood that last one. It had infuriated him until he'd seen them together, then he had understood. Soubi was afraid of Seimei, even when he had thought he was dead Soubi had been afraid. And Ritsuka realized that Soubi had believed (or at least truly wished) that Seimei was dead until that day he had come to him and begged Ritsuka to run away and take him with him far away, or else he might become a 'Despicable Person'.

Soubi had been terrified. Sometimes despite the difference in their ages and who had ears and who didn't, Ritsuka wondered who was really the adult and who wasn't. Soubi always seemed to need to be told what to do, that he needed to be led, or controlled as he called it. He was beginning to understand that Seimei had controlled Soubi utterly, but Seimei had abandoned Soubi even more completely than he had abandoned Ritsuka.

As Soubi had stood there in the library with Seimei and him, it was apparent to Ritsuka that Seimei cared nothing for Soubi. Nothing at all. The cold way he told Soubi to just 'Shut up' each time he opened his mouth spoke volumes. If it had been him and he'd been separated from Soubi for so long, he would have not only wanted to hear Soubi's voice, he would have flown into the tall blondes arms and kissed him, over and over probably. But no Seimei had "ORDERED' him to shut up and be silent, to not talk to Ritsuka and for the first time ever that Ritsuka knew of, and based on the expression on Seimei's face, maybe ever. Soubi had disobeyed a direct order and spoke, spoke to Ritsuka. Fear etched in his eyes the whole time.

Then he had begged Ritsuka, to please forgive him as he was forced to obey the command to break the windows that had allowed Seimei to escape. But what choice had he had really? Everyone (well except for Nagisa) had told him to not harm Seimei in some form or another. Ritsu had wanted him alive, and Soubi knew Ritsuka would have never forgiven him if he'd harmed Seimei in any way.

----

Two years had passed since that day in the library. Soubi still feared Seimei and the control the name 'Beloved' engraved on his throat gave him. Ritsuka was going to change that tonight. He'd thought about it for a long time. He still lived at home, but he no longer lived in constant fear of his mother and her 'episodes'. Ritsuka had finally realized that it wasn't his fault (Seimei and then Nisei had been playing mind games). Plus he'd grown over the last 2 years and was big enough to escape her now. Also she was getting treatment too and the 'episodes' were far less frequent and almost completely non violent. Sure she occasionally started screaming, but she would catch herself before it got too out of hand. It was a lot better than it had been before, and he was allowed friends and to stay over at their houses so long as he let her know where he was. About a year ago he had, with the help of his therapist introduced Soubi to her and ah, explained they were sort of together. He wondered if he was going to get through tonight with his ears intact. If not she was probably going to freak. Maybe he should sneak her a few extra meds just in case.

Honestly, Ritsuka didn't mind if he lost his ears tonight, in fact, secretly he was kind of hoping too. Soubi was HIS fighter damnit. That's what tonight was all about. Soubi picked him up at his house and they went out to dinner before heading to Soubi's apartment, in his coat pocket Ritsuka had an exacto knife, he knew what he had to do. When they reached Soubi's apartment, Soubi had gone to the fridge got and opened a Beer and gotten Ritsuka a cola. Ritsuka meanwhile shrugged out of his coat and retrieved the knife. Standing there holding it he faced the taller male. (Damn he was still nearly a foot shorter it just wasn't fair!)

"Soubi it's time to do something about that 'Beloved' on your throat."

"W-what?"

"I'm going to remove it you're my Fighter, not Seimei's. I refuse to let him have you."

"R-Ritsuka. I-I,.. Is that an Order?."

"Yes, it's an order. Take off your shirt and sit on the floor by the bed, it will be easier that way."

The rather surprised Soubi did as he was told, his back propped up against the side of the bed. Ritsuka crawled into his lap, the exacto knife in his right hand and kneeled up to peer at the offensive word carved on his Fighters throat. Soubi watched him and sucked in a breath as Ritsuka placed his very warm left hand on his shoulder to steady himself.

"Soubi."

"Yes."

"Answer me honestly, because to tell the truth I already know. Do you like pain?" Soubi looked away and down at the floor but he answered in a soft voice.

"Y-yes, but only when it is the right person giving it. If it is Ritsuka, t-then it is the right person."

Ritsuka brushed the soft strawberry blonde hair from his face, Soubi brought his eyes up to meet those of his Sacrifice. Ritsuka captured the lips of his Fighter in a long and tender kiss before he began defacing the letters of 'Beloved' one at a time. The male below him silent but for a few moans low in his throat,the only other sign that he felt anything was his growing erection. Soubi was excited.

He had carved thru the letters 'B' and 'E' when Ritsuka felt it start to happen. A power seemed to flow between him and the Fighter under him. Pausing he looked around them, and saw the same lines he had seen that day at the school so many years ago. The ones that had connected Midori to A. The same ones that he had seen about himself, but that had seemed to lead to nowhere. Midori had said those cords bound a Sacrifice to their Fighter, and if and when he saw Soubi's, that day he would understand him completely. Straddling his fighter as he became excited by the pain he so willingly accepted, Ritsuka finally understood him, and the cords began to connect. Without knowing how he knew, he crossed out only one more letter, the 'D' at the end. Leaving the word 'LOVE' upon the throat of his Fighter.

"Ritsuka?"

"It's done Soubi. We are bonded, look." Soubi opened his eyes for he had kept them closed the whole time, savoring the feel of Ritsuka being in control of him. And there before his eyes was what he had always hoped, but never quite expected to see. The lines showing the true bond of a Sacrifice to his Fighter. Tears filled his eyes.

"Soubi?! What's wrong? I-I thought you'd be pleased?"

"Gods Yes! I-I Love you Ritsuka." And the overwhelmed Blonde gathered the slightly smaller male to him as he wept tears of joy into his dark hair.

"Soubi you're squishing me, let up a little will ya."

"Let me hold you for a while, okay?"

"Jackass, let me go and kiss me instead."

"Is that an Order?"

"Damnit YES! Now shut up and kiss me, and while you're at it, get the rest of your clothes off."

"Ritsuka!"

"Look I may not have any practice with this kind of stuff (ears, I still have my ears, so obviously) but I know it won't work with our clothes on, so strip. Then you can show me." Soubi let go of Ritsuka and between kisses. Hey they had been together for a little over 2 years by now, kissing they had lots of practice with. It was one of the few things Soubi got from Ritsuka without much fuss, that and some really heavy petting.

"I, Um, well," Soubi was blushing furiously, though he 'had' started to slowly peal of pieces of clothing from both himself and Ritsuka, as well as keeping up the kissing.

"What?"

"I-I've….never been on 'top'."

"Yeah, Duh." Soubi thinking Ritsuka hadn't completely understood tried to explain further

"I mean that..."

"Your submissive, I know what it means Sou-chan. Mom never bothered to put any parental blocks on my computer."

"What the Fuck!"

"Exactly." If Soubi had been blushing earlier it was nothing compared to how red he turned now. Ritsuka thought it was adorable and it made him think of something else. Seimei still had his ears, even now. Which meant he had never slept with Soubi, at least it had never gotten that far.

"Soubi, how many lovers have you had?"

"Counting you?"

"Do I actually count yet?

"Yes, from the very first day I met you." Ritsuka's eye softened for a moment before he replied.

"Okay, other than me then."

"One." Only one, the one who had taken his ears, and that had been long before Seimei.

"Did you love him?"

"No never. But,... but once, a long time ago, I believed it was he who would be the one to control me."

"And now?"

"I belong to Ritsuka. He owns me, but not in the same way as ever 'he' would have, or in the way that Seimei did. Because for Ritsuka my heart is full of love, and that is how he owns me. I love you, Ritsuka."

Touched to his very Soul, Ritsuka took the face of the love starved Fighter in his slender hands, and kissed him again. This time his tongue demanding entrance to the warm mouth. Soubi tasted of the beer he had drank and cigarettes. Ritsuka had gotten used to the taste over the years, had come to like it even, it was the taste of Soubi.

They managed to crawl up onto the bed, lips still connected hands roaming and grasping, bodies pressing hard against each other as they tried to get into each other skin. Pushing Ritsuka up off him a little Soubi tried to clear his head, he was panting hard.

"Rit-Ritsuka, we, we can't, your ears. Your Mother will freak. You're still too young."

"I will decide if I'm old enough or not. Besides, I slipped a couple of extra tranquilizers into my Moms dose cups for the next few days, just to be on the safe side." Soubi blinked up at his Sacrifice, he had planned that far ahead? Obviously so.

"Ah, oh okay, um, we're going to need something though, I have some moisturizer we could use I guess."

"Where?"

"Bathroom under the sink."

"Stay put, just like that. I'll be right back." Ritsuka got up, and with a quick kiss to Soubi's lips he ran into the bathroom to grab the moisturizer from the basket under the sink. Soubi watched him as he scurried across the room. He wasn't as tiny as he had been, back when they first met. But he was still quite a bit shorter than Soubi himself, and very slender. He was just so cute.

Ritsuka returned in no time and placed the bottle in a convenient place. It wasn't needed, not just yet, but he hadn't wanted to be jumping up and running into the bathroom, only to have the moment lost when the time did come. He returned to the waiting arms of his Fighter. As Ritsuka nibbled and licked his way down the Soubi's stomach, he thought of Kio and his damn Lollipops. He suddenly had a clear insight to the flighty Kio, and his constant sucking. Smiling to himself, Ritsuka reached his goal, and the Blondes hard throbbing erection, his mouth closing over it. The Fighter groaned and arched his back as pleasure flooded him. Silently he promised to buy Kio a hug bag of his favorite pudding flavor tomorrow.

The first time was a bit of an eye opener to Ritsuka, he'd never felt anything like it (needless to say as his ears were firmly in place until the end). His obvious inexperience, combined with Soubi's long abstinence had the two stumbling thru it as if they had both been wearing ears. Enthusiasm and hormones made up for a lot, love the rest. Afterwards they fell asleep wrapped in each others arms.

The light of pre-dawn was just lighting the sky when Soubi awoke, and looked at the sweet sleeping face of his Sacrifice. Nature was calling though and he got up and headed to the bathroom. When he had finished he stop to take a look in the mirror to see if Ritsuka had managed to leave as many hickeys as he thought. What he saw in the mirror though....

"AAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!"

Ritsuka startled awake by the shout, looked around. When he didn't see Soubi in the bed with him and the bathroom door ajar, he grabbed the sheet and ran towards it.

"Soubi!"

The teen got to the door to find the older male sitting on the floor, his head bowed. Clutching the sheet before him in both his hands up to his throat he slowly approached the blonde on the floor.

"Soubi? Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?"

The strawberry blonde head lifted, and aqua blue eyes meet his. Soubi reached up placed a hand to his throat. Under the remaining four letters that Ritsuka had left the night before were four new letters written on the fighters body, not carved as with a knife but written in the way of The Fighter/Sacrifice Pairs. What Ritsuka saw was...

**XX LOVE X**

**LESS**

The 'less' of 'Loveless' had appeared upon the fighters throat just under the remaining letters that spelled the word 'love'. Reaching up, Soubi snatched the sheet from Ritsuka hands, startled Ritsuka let it go without a thought. And there written in the exact same spot in the exact same pattern was..

**XX LOVE X**

**LESS**

The Hidden Truth, it been there under the carved word of 'Beloved' the whole time.

_____

**AN: Hope you enjoyed. ;) There is a sequel to this story "More than Zero', Which is Youji's and Natsuo's tale. Which takes place not long after this one in my twisted little world. Ritsuka and Soubi make appearances, naturally.**


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